Rail end connecter



arch 9, 1937. c. EDWARDS 2,072,371

RAIL END CONNECTER Original Filed June 12, 1933 n n H nj H n m nmn 36 34 37 7 lrz vemar Patented Mar. 9, 1931 PATENT OFF-ICE RAIL END CONNECTER Cliff 'EdwardsBeverly. Hills, Calif.

Application.June 12',

1933, Serial No. 675,399

Renewed April '21, 1936 5 Glaims.

This invention relates to a rail connecter. Rail connections-are usually effected by means offish plates whichare-attached-by bolts passing through holesin the webs of the abutting rail ends: This necessitates making similar holes in the=fish-'plates'for. the bolts. In. that. kind of. a connection, if: it happens-that the abutting. ends of therail are notilocated' over a cross tie, there is no substantial support immediately under the railend; Even if the tworail ends doabut over a cross tie, byreason ofithe fact that the cross tie is somewhat compressible, the rail v end from which the wheel passes. tends. to become depressed, thereby. causing more or. less .of a shock to'the wheel as it passes .fromithisrail endto the next. This causes. a. recurrent noise that is always unpleasant to passengers duringthe day, and is positively, annoying. to passengers occupying berths in sleeping cars.

One of the .objectscof my invention is-to overcome. this objectionandto provide a connection for the abutting. railends which will enable the wheelsof .thetraintopass from-one rail to the nextnoiselessly, and. without .any'jar' or shock, and to connect the rail ends; together in-.such a waythatitherailwill reactto the wheel asthough it were substantially one continuous. rail.

A. fish plate connection between rail' ends does notv reinforce the rails to any considerable extent as..regards-.the possibility of'the rails spreading, and many accidents have happened: heretofore on..account of such spreading of rails particularly on curves where the centrifugal force'acting on the train, subjectsthe outside rail to. a considerable 1 stress in a horizontali plane;

Another: object' of this invention is to provide a rail end connecter; of simple construction; which will overcome the objections referred: to above, and whichwill provide asubstantial support for the abutting-"rail ends, thereby preventing a. shock: or ihammer blow as the wheelrolls from one; rail end to the next.

Arfurtherz object of the invention is to provide a rail: end connecter that will-avoidthe necessity for. the :useof-fish plates and bolts-throughthe webs of the rails.

A further object of the invention" is to provide a construction which-will enable a connection to bemadebetweenthe rail and cross ties whichwilltend to preventspreadingof the rails.

The=-joints where rails abut may, of .course, occurdirectlyover a cross tieor they may. occur between cross-ties. One ofithe objects of this invention is to provide a connecter which is adapted to be used in either of these situations, in one 'case operating as a bridge between the two adjacent ties and in the'other case operating as a seat for the rail on the tie above whichthe rails abut.

A further. object of the invention is to provide a construction for rail connecter which willenable the abutting rails to be securely bracedin position, but which will allow for contraction and expansion of the rails due to changes. of temperature; also to provide a construction whereby wedges may be employed for securing the rail connecter to the rails, and to provide-a construction involving the use of compressible means cooperating-with the wedges to facilitate their being driven into position and to:provide a constant resistance tothe outward movement of the wedges.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The. invention. consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contributeto produce an eificient rail end connecter.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the inventionis pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a .plan upon reduced scale of a short portion of railroad track and illustrating: two rail .endconnectersembodying my invention-and incorporated into the rail-waycconstruction;

Figure 2 is a vertical section .upon a, large scale takenabout onthe line2-2-of.Figure 1 and further illustrating details of the construction, the lower and-outer portionsof the cross ties being brokenaway; and

Figure 3.is acrosssection takenabout on-the line 3-3 of Figure 2, thelower portionofthe crosstie being broken away.

Referring more-particularly to the parts, Illndicates a short section-of railway trackin which rails 2 are laid-upon cross ties 3-, andin this view 4 and 5 indicate two rail end connecters embodying myinventio-n. Theconnecter misindicatedas bridging two adjacent ties'indicated specifically. by. thenumerals 3a'and-3b; while the connecter. 5 is illustrated as seated entirely on a single cross tie indicated by. the numerall3c.

Referring more particularly to Figures 2 and. 3, the. connecter comprises; an-elongated body member. fiwhichhas-a base l in .the; form of; a plate to rest uponacross tie 3a andthis body member includes an upward extension 8, which is of massive form so as to have considerable strength under compression. This extension 8 is integrally connected to the base 7 and between the base and the inclined under face 9 of the upward extension 8 a socket it is formed. This socket is adapted to receive the adjacent rail flange ll when the body member 6 is applied to the inner side of the rail. The face 9, as viewed in cross section in Figure 3, is substantially parallel to the upper inclined face I! of the rail flange H and is disposed at a slight distance from the same so as to be capable of receiving a clamping wedge l3 that is driven into position from the end of the connecter. The face 9 should also have a slight inclination in a longitudinal direction to correspond with the inclination or taper of the wedge, such as the wedge I 4, indicated in Figure 2. The upward extension 3 is preferably of hollow, block form as shown, that is to say, it has a cored opening l5 extending from end to end through it. The upper face of the extension or block 8 is formed with a shallow groove or channel E6 to provide clearance for the flanges of the wheels that roll on the track.

In order to give the connecter considerable strength, it is provided with a relatively deep wall H which connects one edge of the base 1 with the outer side of the block or extension 8. Furthermore, I prefer to construct this part of the connecter so that the outer face Ila of the block or extension 8 constitutes a continuation of the adjacent edge of the base I, and this face intersects with the upper inclined face 18 of the connecter so as to produce a relatively high shoulder l9. This gives the block or upward extension 8 a considerable horizontal dimension and vertical depth.

The upper side of the block or extension 8 is formed with an inclined or beveled face 253 that seats against the inclined under face N of the rail head 22. When the wedge 13 is tightened. up,

the face 20 is jammed against the under side of the head.

The connecter also includes a clamping member or clamping block 23 which has a cross section a somewhat similar to that of the upward extension or block 8, that is to say, it has a beveled upper face 2Q adapted to be jammed by the wedge M against the inclined under face 25 of the rail head on the outer side of the rail.

The clamping member 23 preferably includes an outwardly projecting flange 26 which is cast integral with it, and the outer edge of this flange and' the outer edge of the base I are provided with registering sockets 2'! for receiving rail spikes such as the spikes 28 which are driven down ito the cross ties.

In addition to this, I prefer to secure the clamping block 23 to the base by means of bolts 29 shoved up from below and tightened up by nuts 30 carried on the upper threaded ends of the bolts. The clamping member 23 is also preferably provided with a cored opening 3 I These cored openings l5 and 3| considerably reduce the weight of material but are employed in making the connecter without substantially reducing its strength. The presence of these core-d openings l5 and 3| also facilitates the running of copper wire connections when it is necessary to provide a good electrical connection between the rail ends.

Each connecter is preferably provided with two spike sockets 21 which are located near the ends and also an intermediate socket 32. This enables the connecter to be used as a bridge across two adjacent cross ties as indicated in Figure 2 or,

by using the middle spike socket 32, the connecter can be seated directly over a single cross tie as indicated at 5 in Figure 1.

If desired, the base I may be laid directly upon the upper face 33 of the cross tie but I prefer to counter-sink it into the cross tie, and for this purpose I provide the cross tie with a deep notch 34 (see Figure 3). In this way, a vertical shoulder 35 is formed in the cross tie, against which the outer edge of the connecter abuts. This gives a secure connection between the connecter and the cross ties and tends to prevent the connecter from shifting on the cross tie.

After the wedges l3 and I4 have been driven into place, their small ends are bent upwardly as indicated at Ma in Figure 2. This upwardly bent toe Ma tends to prevent the wedges from working loose. The wedges also tend to remain tight by reason of the fact that I provide a pad or mat 35 under the bottom face of the rail and'this pad is preferably received in a recess 3! formed in the upper face of the base I. This pad or mat may be made of. highly compressed fiber or similar material which will be slightly compressed by the driving of wedges into position. It should be noted, however, that when the wedges are tightened up, the rail is supported by the seats 20 and 24 under its head 22. Hence, when a heavily loaded wheel rolls from one rail to the next, there can be no imperfect alignment between the upper faces of the two abutting rail ends.

It will be noted that in the connecter 4 the notches 34 do not extend all the way across the cross ties but simply extend into the same from one side but when the connecter is seated entirely on a single cross tie, such as indicated at 5 in Figure l, the notch 38 for the connecter extends all the way across the upper face of the tie.

It will be noted that this connecter can be readily substituted for fish platesnow in use for connecting rails already laid in tracks. The fish plates can be smelted with other iron to cast the connecters embodying my improvements. The use of the connecter saves wear and tear on the car wheels and prolongs the life of the rails by reducing the pounding effect which now occurs when the heavily loaded wheel passes from one rail to the next.

If car wheels are composed of compressed paper or rubber or other material, this connecter will serve the same purpose .of saving wear and tear on such wheels.

It will be noted that the base of my connecter has considerable area and, if desired, it can be seated directly on ballast driven under it like the practice of, driving ballast under cross ties. If this is done, the use of the connecter will save a considerable length in cross ties as short cross ties can be used at such points.

t will be evident that my rail connecter will facilitate the electric bonding of the ends of the rails together, where this is necessary to increase the conducting efficiency of the rails on electric railways. In making such a bond, it is obvious that a fiat copper strip can be laid between the abutting faces 20 and 2|, or 24 and 25 of Fig. 3. When the connecter is clamped up, it is evident that such copper strips would be very tightly clamped against the rail ends.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of. the invention, nor in the embodiment set forth.

claims, to the particular One of the advantages of my improvement is that the rail ends are held rigidly together without using through bolts passing through their webs. This avoids the necessity for drilling the .5 rail ends, and a considerable economy results from this fact.

What I claim is:

1. In a rail connecter, the combination of an elongated body member having a base to lie upon the cross ties and having an upward extension of elongated form, with a socket to receive the rail flange between the base and said upward extension, said upper extension having a seat face abutting against the under face of the rail head, a clamping member of elongated form opposite to said upward extension, means for bolting the same to the base, said clamping member having an upper face to seat against the lower face of the 'head, said socket having an inclined face adjacent to the upper face of the rail flange and said clamping memher having an inclined face adjacent to the rail flange on the other side of the rail, and wedges between the rail flange and said inclined faces for clamping the upper faces of the body and the clamping member up against the under faces of the rail head, said wedges, said body and said clamping member being the sole means for securing the rail ends together.

2. In a rail connecter, the combination of an elongated body member having a base to lie upon the cross ties and having an upward extension of elongated form, with a socket to receive the rail flange between the base and said upward extension, said upward extension being imperforated for bolts through the rail ends and having a seat face abutting against the under face of the rail head, a clamping member of elongated form opposite to said upward extension, means for bolting the same to the base, said clamping member being imperforated for bolts through the rail ends having an upper face to seat against the lower face of the head, said socket having an inclined face adjacent to the upper face of the rail flange and said clamping memher having an inclined face adjacent to the rail flange on the other side of the rail, and wedges between the rail flange and said inclined faces for clamping the upper faces of the body membar and the clamping member up against the under faces of the rail head, said wedges, said body and said clamping member being the sole means for securing the rail ends together, said body member and said clamping member having aligning notches on their edges to receive spikes.

3. In a rail connecter, the combination of an elongated body member having a base to lie upon the cross ties and having an upward extension of elongated form, with a socket to receive the rail flange between the base and said upward extension, said upward extension being imperiorated for bolts through the rail ends and having a seat face abutting against the under face of the rail head, a clamping member of elongated 5 form opposite to said upward extension, means for bolting the same to the base, said clamping member being imperforated for bolts through the rail ends and having an upper face to seat against the lower face of the head, said socket having an inclined face adjacent to the upper face of the rail flange and said clamping member having an inclined face adjacent to the rail flange on the other side of the rail, and wedges between the rail flange and said inclined faces for clamping the upper faces of the body member and the clamping member up against the under faces of the rail head, said Wedges, said body and said clamping member being the sole means for securing the rail ends together, and a compressible mat between the under face of the rail and the upper face of the base and adapted to be compressed by the wedges when the same are tightened up.

4. In a rail connecter, the combination of an elongated body member having a base to lie upon the cross ties and having an upward extension of elongated form, with a socket to receive the rail flange between the base and said upward extension, said upward extension being imperforated for bolts through the rail ends and having a seat face abutting against the under face of the rail head, a clamping member of elongated form opposite to said upward extension, means for bolting the same to the base, said clamping member being imperforated for bolts through the rail ends and having an upper face to seat against the lower face of the head, said socket having an inclined face adjacent to the upper face of the rail flange and said clamping member having an inclined face adjacent to the rail flange on the other side of the rail, and wedges between the rail flange and said inclined faces for clamping the upper faces of the body member and the clamping member up against the under faces of the rail head, and a compressible mat between the under face of the rail and the upper face of the base and adapted to be compressed by the wedges when the same are tightened up, said wedges tapering in opposite directions so that one wedge is driven in from one end of the body member and the other wedge from the other end, said parts being the sole means for connecting the rail ends.

5. In a rail connecter, the combination of a body member in the form of a block, having a base to lie upon the cross ties and having an upward extension with a socket to receive the rail flange between the base and said upward extension, said body member having a longitudinal. channel in its upper face lying adjacent to the side of the rail head to receive the flange of a wheel rolling on the rails, said upward extension being imperforated for bolts through the rail ends, and having a seat face abutting against the under face of the rail head, a clamping member of elongated block form opposite to said upward extension, means for bolting the same to the base, said clamping member being imperforated for bolts through the rail ends, and having an upper face to seat against the lower face of the head, said socket having an inclined face adjacent to the upper face of the rail flange and said clamping member having an inclined face adjacent to the rail flange on the other side of the rail, and wedges between the rail flange and said inclined faces for clamping the upper faces of the body member and the clamping member up against the under faces of the rail head, said named parts constituting the sole means for connecting the rail ends.

CLIFF EDWARDS. 

